Janet Bostwick wrote:

>On Tue, 02 Sep 2014 07:03:10 -0700, sf > wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 2 Sep 2014 06:30:14 +0000 (UTC), tert in seattle
> wrote:
>>
>>> 1. green beans are hard to cook right - there's a narrow tolerance for
>>> doneness
>>
>>Thank you! That is one vegetable that I'd rather buy frozen because
>>when *I* cook them from fresh they are either so undercooked they
>>squeak on my teeth or they are overcooked and too mushy. I feel like
>>I rarely hit the stopped squeaking, but not mushy sweet spot.
>>>
>snip
>Why don't you just sample one from the cooking pot to see how done
>they are? That's what I do.
>Janet US

That's what all normal people do with most everything they cook...
there is no way to tell if vegetables are cooked to one's liking
simply by looking and/or timing.